Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre

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Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre

Frenchay, known locally as BIRU, specialises in the treatment of patients, from 16 years and upwards, who have severe physical and/ or cognitive problems resulting from a brain injury. We work together with North Bristol NHS Trust, the regional major trauma and neurosurgical centre for the South West Region.

Most of our patients come to Frenchay BIRU because of a traumatic brain injury, for example, following a road traffic accident. Other patients have acquired a brain injury through illness such as a brain tumour or infection. They usually arrive here after a stay in an acute hospital once their condition has stabilised.

We’re extremely proud of our success and Frenchay has been officially recognised as one of the best performing brain injury rehabilitation centres in the country. Our Patient Outcome Report shows just how well patients do with us: Patient Outcomes Frenchay Patient Outcomes Report

There are two buildings on our Frenchay site: Frenchay BIRU South and Frenchay BIRU North.

We’ve assembled a medical team with an outstanding depth of expertise who work across both buildings.
The centre is led by a consultant neuropsychiatrist who is supported by two consultants in rehabilitation medicine and another consultant neuropsychiatrist.
They work with a team of psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and support workers with decades of experience in neuro-rehabilitation.
The team members work hand-in-hand, bringing their expertise together to focus on achievable goals for the patient.

Facilities

Getting here

We’re located in the grounds of the former Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, The best entrance to use is on Begbrook Park.

By road, we're just off the M32 close to both the M5 and M4 motorways.

Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads railway stations are both about a 10-minute drive away

Bristol Airport is 12 miles away

On site parking

What's here

52 bedrooms, all en-suite and two Independent living flats

Eight-bed high dependency unit

Two gyms, two accessible therapy kitchens, hydrotherapy pool

A pretty landscaped garden with special outdoor physiotherapy area

While you're here

Access to facilities in neuroscience directorate at North Bristol NHS Trust, for example, MRI and CT scans

Care at Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre

Specialist Rehabilitation

This is sometimes referred to as "level 1" or "regional care" and this is a service for people with the most severe brain injuries. It is for patients, who need a short but intensive period of rehabilitation, which may involve two to three hours of therapy, five days a week.

Patients arriving at Frenchay BIRU are often in the very early stages of recovery from a brain injury.

When they get here, patients may have great trouble moving or understanding what is happening to them. Sometimes a brain injury causes people to develop a psychiatric disorder or to display confused or aggressive behaviour.
We realise that progress can be difficult at first. Brain injuries often cause people to get tired very quickly, which means we may have to take thing slowly to begin with.
Recovery is a step-by-step process. But we work with the brain’s natural ability to adapt and change with time.
Our specialist team works with one aim in mind: to return our patients to the best life possible.

Slow-Stream Rehabilitation

This is also known as "Level 2" rehabilitation and is suitable for patients who have either completed a period of Level 1 rehabilitation and have ongoing active therapy needs, or who have been assessed on referral to BIRU as having less complex rehabilitation and care requirements. In either situation, patients have the potential to improve further to either enable a return home or to a community setting with reduced future care needs.

Who we treat

Some patients at Frenchay BIRU have been detained under the Mental Health Act or are here under a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS) order.

We accept patients with tracheostomies, nasogastric tubes and PEGs.

We also accept patients who appear not to be responding to the outside world (sometimes described as being in a “low state of arousal” or in a “vegetative state”). We assess patients using the “SMART” tool – the Sensory Modality Assessment Rehabilitation Technique.

What people say about us

Reviews of our approach and how we've helped our patients

My husband has been treated with extreme kindness and the expertise of the therapists is second to none. I have been impressed with how caring everyone has been and how enthusiastic.

Family memberJanuary 2017

I cannot tell you how much I shall miss BIRU. The support has been fantastic and I cannot thank you enough!

PatientJanuary 2017

The care and dedication shown to my sister following serious brain injury could not be faulted. All the staff have worked so hard in a friendly and positive way.

Patient's familyDecember 2016

The care and dedication shown to my sister following serious brain injury could not be faulted. All the staff have worked so hard in a friendly and positive way.

Patient's familyDecember 2016

My husband has been treated with extreme kindness and the expertise of the therapists is second to none. I have been impressed by how caring everyone has been and how enthusiastic over each small step

Former patient's wifeDecember 2016

I cannot begin to tell you how much I shall miss BIRU. The support has been fantastic and I cannot thank you enough.

Former patientDecember 2016

Lovely people that work here! It's a nice safety bubble until I go home. The staff have all been brilliant, friendly and supportive. I have always felt safe here, critical when one comes in such a vul

PatientFebruary 2016

Advice and Support

Advice and Support

Individual independence

There are plenty of opportunities to bring your own personal touches to day to day life here at Frenchay. We encourage our patients to be as independent as possible.
We like it when families are actively involved in a loved one’s care, helping us to set the right goals for a patient each step of the way.

The Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre team

We’re very proud of the team at Frenchay. The medical team is led by consultant psychiatrist Dr John Holloway and Dr Angus Graham, consultant in rehabilitation medicine. They work alongside Dr Johanna Herrod, consultant neuropsychiatrist; Dr Annabel Crossman, consultant in rehabilitation medicine; and Dr Angelita Cruz, consultant psychologist.
Other senior team members include Debbie Pinches, nurse manager, Jason Tovey, deputy nurse manager, Clare Belmont, lead physiotherapist, Jo Heath, lead occupational therapist, Gerry Roxburgh, lead speech and language therapist and Pat Lloyd and Paul Owen, community liaison co-ordinators.

Related Services

Who we work with

We work in partnership with North Bristol Trust but also have affiliations with INPA, Headway and University of West of England.

Media Enquiries

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